MK Party wanted timelines set for President Cyril Ramaphosa to sign bills, while the EFF raised issues on the proclamation of the Bela Act.
The delays in signing of bills by President Cyril Ramaphosa and the yet-to-be-proclaimed Basic Education Laws Amendment (Bela) Act were a sticking point when Parliament’s programme of activities was discussed on Thursday.
This as the MK Party wanted timelines set for Ramaphosa to sign bills, while the EFF raised issues on the proclamation of the Bela Act.
EFF MP Veronica Mente was the first to raise the matter of bills waiting for assent from Ramaphosa.
She also enquired about a “clear update” on the Bela Act, which had the implementation of two clauses suspended pending consultation.
MK Party chief whip Mzwanele Manyi said the programme committee could direct the appropriate committee to craft a legislation that will give the president timelines to do things.
Manyi noted with concern that bills get stuck with the president without being signed for years.
“There needs to be some prescript that must say ‘we will give you up to a year’. We can’t have an indefinite period of just waiting,” he said.
Ramaphosa’s parliamentary counsellor, Gerhard Koornhof, said seven bills were signed by Ramaphosa since the last meeting of the committee.
“There are 12 bills before the president at the moment. This is work in process and a decision will be made soon on the bills tabled before the president. Since the elections in May this year, there were close to 40 bills sent to the president for assent,” he said, pointing out the number was whittled down to 12. Koornhof urged that Parliament and the executive be allowed to process legislation as prescribed by the Constitution.
Echoing Manyi, MK Party’s Visvin Reddy said the issues of delayed signing of bills were pertinent.
“There has to be a specific time frame imposed on finalisation of the bills that sit before the president,” he said. “We are not saying the president is coerced by lobby groups not to sign bills. It may well happen if we don’t set specific time frames.”
Rise Mzansi’s Makhashule Gana said the matter of bills before the president required a long discussion and not just be dealt with in reports tabled before the committee. Gana suggested that the matter be referred to the chief whips forum rather than have the same issues raised in every meeting.
National Assembly Thoko Didiza agreed with Gana, saying “we can request for this type of engagement”.
“I would request that in this matter we need to have broader engagement as Gana has raised and find an appropriate structure to deal with that discussion.”
Cape Times
Related Topics: